When Mike Tyson hinted at a comeback in early May 2020, some fans worried that he might
hurt himself, given his age and how long it's been since the peak of his boxing career.
But a new video of the 53-year-old boxer is proof positive that people should be more
worried about Tyson's potential opponent, because he's as ripped and powerful as ever.
On May 20th, Tyson shared a video of himself training on the Chinese social media site
Weibo, showing off his six-pack and chiseled, well, everything. It's a lot to take in. Some
fans might assume that Tyson was always in this kind of physical shape, but he really
wasn't. In a 2019 interview with Joe Rogan, Tyson revealed that he was abstaining from
working out at all, in the name of helping him get to a place of balance and peace with
himself.
"In order to, um, arrive to that next chapter in life you have to forget the chapter that
came before you."
For better or worse, Tyson's back in fitness mode, and he's potentially even returning
to the ring to raise money for charity. Tyson's new training video shows off his punching
power and shredded physique at the age of 53. He generally just looks like a beast,
until his adorable fluffy dog comes to stop him at the very end.
Watching the video, it's hard not to notice that his body looks just as toned as it did
back in May 1997, the year of the "Sound and the Fury" match with Evander Holyfield. Tyson
was infamously disqualified in the third round of the match for biting Holyfield on both
ears, one bite being so intense that a piece of Holyfield's ear was found in the ring afterward.
Tyson was fined and had to step away from boxing temporarily. He later returned to the
ring before saying he would retire for good in 2005. Legal issues, including a bankruptcy
filing and alleged drug use, ensued through the aughts. That's why the idea of a 2020
Mike Tyson comeback for charity sounds so exciting to fans.
Tyson posted a couple of training videos in the spring of 2020, one of which ended with
him saying, "I'm back!", which led many fans to believe that he's returning to the ring.
His comeback hasn't been confirmed by any organizer or even Iron Mike himself, so this
could all just be a fun social media stunt. Still, it's an exciting possibility. If he
does return for a charity exhibition show, who would the opponent even be?
Some are suggesting that Holyfield should step back in the ring with Tyson. Other top
contenders include New Zealand rugby player and boxer Sonny Bill Williams or Australian
former rugby player and boxer Paul Gallen, per The Guardian. Heavyweight champion Shannon
Briggs has also said that he's spoken with Tyson directly about setting something up,
as reported by the Evening Standard. This reported comeback has gained a lot of traction,
so hopefully, more details will emerge soon.
Despite some skepticism in the boxing world, many people are supportive of a Mike Tyson
comeback, including World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman, who says that the organization
will rank him if he's serious about competing professionally, per World Boxing News. He
added that every world champion is always welcome back in the ring via the organization,
though if it's just an exhibition for charity, Tyson doesn't technically need the WBC's support,
but he definitely has it. Sulaiman said,
"He could knock out anyone with one punch, at any time! So of course we will support
him. I don't like to speculate. This is a topic we are all entertained by. An exhibition
is one thing; if he comes back he has to be licensed and has to go through a thorough
process."
Tyson is a legend, after all, despite his rocky history with the sport, other boxers,
and his own demons. But it looks like he's back at the top of his game, and whoever does
end up fighting Tyson in this theoretical comeback should watch out, those punches in
his training video were coming fast!
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